We use this to refer to something in the past that has already happened, but as though it were still happening (usually in the context of another event).Įxample: “ I was eating a chicken sandwich when he called me.” The easiest form, we use this when the action has already happened or has been completed.Įxample: “ I ate a chicken sandwich.” Past Continuous These tenses can further be divided into four distinct forms (simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuos). Depending on which tense we’re using, the verbs we use become modified or conjugated. This concept of tenses is reflected in the way we use verbs. Most likely, you already know that there are three tenses in English:

Hold onto this because I’ll constantly refer to it while explaining the terms. This exercise is also an excellent way to learn the past tense and past participles.īefore reading further, I suggest you grab paper and a pencil to try writing down the answers to the questions I asked, in full sentences. What’s the nicest thing that happened to you the day before?.What did you eat for breakfast/dinner yesterday?.I try to get my students to talk about themselves, such as the things they did the day before. Past Participle: A Simple ExerciseĪs an English teacher, there’s a really simple trick I use to teach my students this concept. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. Practice What You Learned with Fun Resources.The Difference Between Past Tense and Past Participle.Well, I’m here to help you out and I promise by the time you finish reading, these concepts will be clear in your head. If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re confused about the difference between the past tense and past participles. Especially when talking about what’s happened in the past. Talking about time is pretty important in English.

100 verbs present past past participle